City Of God Summary

Brief Summary The film City of God is a account of the harsh realities that existed in Rio de Janeiro during the 1960’s. The film follows the story of two boys Rocket & Li'l Zé and how they both rise out of their violent and improvised circumstances; one becoming a photographer and the other a drug dealer.

Aesthetic Analysis and Theory When one looks at this film’s aesthetic, it showcases itself to be heavily influenced by other world cinemas. Although this film came some thirty years or so after the end of the cinema novo movement, it does draw certain parallels with it. Such as it’s underlying tone for the want of social equality, a strong characteristic of this cinema, it can be seen many times throughout the film’s entirety. Case in point, when the character of Benny befriends and gives money to the middle class Tiago, to purchase him clothing. Now, while it is not stated directly, the question is raised as to why Benny does not do this himself and given that the character of Tiago sticks out quite prominently from the environment he is in, one could possibly say that there is a class destination here. And if one were to deduce this further it could be said that the area in which Tiago purchases this

For instance, if we look at Italian Neo-Realism, the subject matter of this film concerns itself with the everyday hardships of the average person much like this movement. And rather than dealing in escapism it attempts to reveal the harsh realities of this world trying, in turn, to evoke a greater emotional response in it’s audiences. Now granted this features portrayal of the hardships of the average person is somewhat embellished to create a more evocative narrative, which is in ways excusable given modern audiences. Put forth by Xavier in a Sight and Sound article, “It’s a film that deals with social concerns in the language of MTV, rap and disco” (Xavier,